Signal device



y 30, 1944- R. M. MILLER 2,350,289

SIGNAL DEVICE Filed Dec. 13, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l um llllll! INVENTOR WfMwp ATTORNEY R. M. MILLER SIGNAL DEVICE May 30, 1944.

Filed Dec. 13, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR fi vzm f-Md' ATTORNEY} Patented May 30, 1944 UNITED STATES PArENroFm-ca SIGNAL DEVICE Robert M. Miller, Philadelphia, Pa. assignor to Fox Products Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a

corporation of Pennsylvania 1 Application December 13, 1940, Serial No. 369,968 5 '8 Claims. (01.1774

This invention relates to a signal device, and

especially to a device of this type adapted to be employed as a door chime. While a number of features of the invention may be useful with a variety of types of chime members, the invention is especially suitable for use with chime tubes.

More specifically, the invention is particularly concerned with a novel chime striker and actuating mechanism therefor, which is capable of use in association with one or aplurality of chime tubes.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a'striker mounted in a novel manner providing for improved tone quality. The proved striker and actuating mechanism also avoid chattering of the striker against the chime or chimes.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of a striker'and actuating mechanism operated by electro-magnetic means, all so arranged as to provide for reliable and positive functioning on a lower voltage current supply than has been customary heretofore. In this connection it "is mentioned that most, if not all,

of the chime typedoor signalsat present on the volts, a step-down transformer having an output at 16 voltsbeing customarily usedj withthe devices now on the-market. Many houses, however, are equipped with a door-bell system including a step-down transformer with a 6'volt output, i

this being virtually standard for equipment of that type. t 3 f; The improved striker and actuating 'mecha- .nism of the presentinvention is capableof effective and reliable operation when suppliedjwith current from the common 6 volt bell-ringing transformeri Ina two-chime installation, the invention further contemplates simple and effective means providing alternatively for the strikingof one How the foregoing and other objects and advantages are achievedvwill' appear'more fully from, the following description referring to the accompanying drawingswhich illustrate the invention as applied to a two-chime installation,

and in which' I Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the striker and actuating mechanism as associated -,.with. the upperends' of a pair of chime tubes,

market require acurrent'supply "of upwards of section;

Figure 2 is a plan View of the mechanism shown in Figure 1,- also showing certain partsbroken away and shown in section;- 2

Figure 3' is a vertical-sectional view taken as indicated by the section line 33"on Figure 1; nd

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the control circuit wiring for certain units employed.

The entire mechanism, including the chime tubes, is adapted tobe mounted'on a vertical surface such as a wall by means of a" bracket 5, the upper end of which is bent outw'ardly as at 6 to provide a support for any suitable cover'l.

'the upper end thereof and-are knotted inside of the tube.

Each cord thus provides a supporting loop adapted to engage slots I 5 formed in portions of the lower frame flange l0.

A sleeve I6 is forced into the end' of each chime tube, and the'sleeve is cut off at an oblique angle,

as indicated at IL'which is of importancein pro- I viding a good and full-tone quality upon striking th'echjn ej :1 I: s

In connection with the 'chimetubes, it may be mentioned that ordinarily the tubes would be of substantialy length, only ax fragment thereof being illustrated in the drawings. The tubes,

-moreover-, would ordinarily be of different pitch.

The chime striker comprises a striker weight Ill-l9 carrying a-ring-Zl'l providing the effective striker surface; this ring preferably being'nonmetallic; Desirably, the ring is formed of wood or of hard fiber board o'r compos'ition material or the like which will produce a mellow instead of a metallic tone. The strike'ris carried at 'thefree end of a striker arm 2 I, the inner'end'of which is bent to channel form-as at'22,to"provide spaced pointsof engagement with p vdt member 23, which latter is pivotally mounted in suitable apertures formed in the upper and lower flanges 9 and In of the frame. The pivot-23 has a part 23a; of increased diameter against which the arm 2| rests, thereby vertically'ipositioning the arm.

of in its aperture in the lower flange I of the frame. I have found that this afiords minimum friction and resistance to swinging of the striker.

Attention is now called to the fact that the axis of pivot 23 for the striker is vertical, in view of which its stroke is not affected by gravity. Movement of the striker in one direction (to the left when viewed as in Figures 1 and '2) is effected by means of a spring 24 which is connected with the striker arm 2| at a point 25, the other end of the spring being attached to 'a bracket 26 which is readily bendable toward and away from the striker arm in order to adjust the tension of spring 24.

Movement of the striker arm in he rapese direction (to the right when viewed as in Fi'gures 1 and 2) is effected by. m'e'ans'of a solenoid 21. The armature 28 of this solenoid is adapted to move toward and away from the striker arm in eui u e itthoie d Wa 1.. l .0f.. h. t be forming a stop for movement of the armaturega toward the. .str lsorta m nd. wa l. 5 .o i t uide bo s o r ur qan the arma e ist ollowed to pass the springjl, this spring being secured to the. a mature a inner; end as indio ted at 32.. nd et e st i r a m 2' at anoin adjacent the point of attachment of spring 24- .11 .2 1". H i-.

. C nect on .o i-the:.s. n -.3 t t e armatur as t." is of advan es n eih s p rm s e pl ym t o am lat y ye ons s ringw th utih necessity of mounting the entire solenoid far,- ther from the striker armm'lhe. characteristics and relative strength of the springs 24 and; v3 I .w l be referred to n me fully hereinafter. in the description of operation althoughit may here be noted that energizing thesolenoid 21 ,s flllses the striker 20 to swing to the right and strike. chime J deeener izin thes len d. be n a om anied by return movement of the striker 20 to engage thechimeJJ H as. a In .instal latiens where it is,.desi;red to provide for alternative actuationof the striker to engage only one-Voflthe chimes, an additionalicontrol de- I vice is employed. This device is arranged for applioation or r moval. a a uni and include a mou tineplatejj adaptedto be securedt ethe lower- ..fiange a 1 lLof vthe echannel frame, .by a nut and bolt jndieated V at. .35., v,This mounting pl is bent upwardly, as seen in Figure 1,..and, then is b ent;to channe1.f orm,,as, .at 36,, to .provide a pp r for asm' ll s lenoid 31 .havin canarmw ture 38 vadaptedto. move vertically ,Integrally connected with the .armature 3 8 .is a non -mag notic or x mpl b ass) abutmen p n 9. w ic is adapted to be noved upwardly when the soleno defil. is-. zed. .In itSJ DP pos t o h pin 33 projeots into the :path of movement of he t kerserm .l h reby, ovi in a lim ti o o, loqe odihatidu i e mov ment o h striker. arm 21 toward chime [2, the stroke is arrested before the chime is struck. I I

The f'upper ange 9 of "the, channelframe also serves to support .three binding posts 40, "4lan'd.

42 by means of which'appro'priateelectricallconnections [may be 3 made, as described" below with referenceto F'ig'ure 1, e v

In Figure 4,1 a transformer. islin'dicated Tat" T, the nmarypeing, coupled yen'an euit me source of current, such'a's thecor'nmon ,110 volt,

cycle supply .linegindicat ed at 43.. ,T'Ih e output w q' ria i. t is ran o ms swee er li p. 19-

videa lowvoltage,,an E;.M. F. in the neighborood oifivo is boinee too ive- The actuating solenoid 21 is adapted to be ento strike chime l'l, after which'thestrik'er ergized by either one of two switches 44 and 45, for example, push-buttons located one at one door and the other at another door of a house. One pole of each of these switches is connected with one side of the transformer, the other pole of switch 44 being coupled with binding post 4|, and the second pole of switch 45 being coupled with binding post 42. Bindingpost 40 is coupled with the other side of the outputwinding of the transformer.

In addition to the wiring just referred to, the mechanism of this invention includes the following as its own internal permanent wiring:

Binding post 40 is coupled with one side of solenoid 2'I, the other side being connected with post 42, so that actuation of switch 45 completes a circuitthroughsolenoid 27, thereby energizing the solenoid and causing the striker to operate.

The terminal 4| is connected with one side of the solenoid 3 1, the other side being connected :with solenoid 21. Closing switch 44, therefore, placessolenoids 2'1 and 31 in series with each other, thereby energizing both, with the result that theabutment pin 39 is moved upwardly to arrest'mover'nen't of the striker farm in its -stroke toward jthe chime l2, the arrangement "of the solenoids and the relative messe of -the ,irio'v'ing parts being such as to bring abutment T39 into position before arm 2| can effect aemenan of chime l2. Upon breaking this circuit, the striker arm ,swings toward and strikes chime I 'l.

Erofn thev above it will bes'ee'nj that actuation of switch 45, provides "for the ringing of. both cli'im'es,"one when the 's'oljer'i'o i'd2l. is energize and the other when it is de energized and actuation of switch 44 provides for the ringing of one chime n yfll).

, 1 Referring now to the springs 24' and 3 I fattentiohisicalled to the faotthat when the'solenoi d 2'! neenergized, the two springs provide an equilibrium position maintaining the striker; 20 close to but out ofcontac't "with'the .jehiii e n. on the other handfwhen thesolenoi'd Zfllis ener- "gized "the springs 24 and '3 l providefan'eqii ilibri- H itio'nsuch that the'st'riker 20is'i'etain'ed felo's to but 'out' of contact "with eh'injie '12. This condition is. secured bythe em'pmyme t o fl'relait ely, light but long sprihgs,;and any necessary bending the tab 26 constituting'the' iified'reeetien point for spring 24 Pr'e'feralfily, the'strerigth of 'sprmg'za'is noticeably less than that of spri g 3 l.

. Coupled with the characteristics of the springs mentioned just above, the invention. 'contemplatesl einployment of a'striker Wie'ightWB-"lfl of fairly substamm mass, so that 'theiner't'ia'iof the striker will carry it in'either di'rectionjb eyond the equilibrium position of the springslli n'ordento engage, bne er the other'ofthe chimes. "Thus, when the solenoid 21 is energized, the 'stro lie'fof the -st rikerflto the right (when v ewed as in Fig- ;o is 1 and' 2). is sumeient' to carry bevoi d'the "equilibriumposition or the springs-and s eth chime 'l 2, wh reuponjthejr bo nd and t e effect of the springs withdraws the 'strikers'uffi'eieritly to prevent chattering," Similarly, in'the roke'in the" opposite direction, thefinertia carriesffthe striker beyondthe equilibrium position in 'der in Ye away from thischime" to itso'riginal 'equ ib rawpos'it'iom'which is the position shown in the d ings.

considering the 'f o regoing operation rnay the pivot for the striker with'its axis "substanneu' vertical, 'sdthat: free movement of the striker may 'occ'ur; and-:further so that this movement is not-influenced :by-the action of gravity at any portion-of either strokeu I 2-. a The-feature just mentioned is of importance inenabling: operation ofthe device on a relatively low-voltage current, suchas. the common 6 volt bell-ringing transformer. Another feature ofimportance in thisconnection is the arrangement of i the solenoid 21- and its armature, these being such as to provide for operation with a minimum of friction, the amount of which is very much less-than that encountered in many prior devices of this general type in which the armature of a solenoid was employed for direct striking of the chimes.

The device of the present invention utilizes inertia of a striker weight in order to provide a substantial blow and, therefore, a full tone.

As hereinbefore mentioned, the improved striker mechanism of the present invention also enhances tone quality and maintains this quality notwithstanding minor misalignment in the hanging of the chimes. In prior devices in which rectilinear movement of the armature of a solenoid is employed to directly strike a chime or chimes, the matter of alignment is very critical, since if the armature and chime are slightly off center, the tone qualityis materially impaired. I believe that the present invention overcomes this difiiculty, at least in large part, by virtue of Y the employment of contacting surfaces on the chime and striker which are curved about parallel axes. As a result of such curvature, the point of contact between the striker and chime always lies on a line joining the cross sectional mass centers of the chime and striker.

Contact of the striker with each chime at a point close to the upper edge of the cut-away I1 is also of importance to tone quality.

Whatever the causes, I have found that the striker mechanism of this invention materially improves the quality of tone, which quality is, moreover, maintained notwithstanding even appreciable misalignment in the hanging of the chime tubes.

I claim:

1. A signaling system including in combination with a pair of chimes or the like, a striker mounted for movement in one direction to strike one chime and in the other direction to strike the other chime, the striker being normally maintained out of contact with either chime, a solenoid for actuating the striker in one direction to strike one chime, means for actuating the striker in the other direction to strike the other chime, an abutment movable into and out of the path of movement of the striker in its travel toward one of the chimes, a solenoid for actuating said abutment, and control circuits for said solenoids one of which is adapted to simultaneously actuate both of said solenoids, and the other of which is adapted to actuate the striker-solenoid only.

2. Apparatus of the character described including in combination with a pair of chimes, a striker pivotally mounted on an upright axis for movement in one direction to strike one chime and for movement in the other direction to strike the other chime, a spring normally urging the striker in a direction toward one chime, a solenoid for moving the striker in the opposite direction toward the other chime, the striker and solenoid being interconnected by a second spring, and the two springs having such relative strength that when the solenoid is de-energized, the position-ofequilibriumiof the striker isiclose to butout of-contact :with one .oflthe chimes and that whenthe solenoid is .energized the position of equilibrium of the. striker is close to but outof contact with the other of -the chimes, and the mass .of thestriker being suflicientto cause it ment adapted to arrest movement of the striker in one direction before striking the chime at the end of that stroke, and control means providing alternatively for actuation of the striker with said abutment in operative position and with said abutment displaced.

4. Apparatus of the character described including in combination with a pair of chimes, a striker of relatively substantial mass pivotally mounted to swing between said chimes about an upright axis, resilient means normally maintaining the striker in a position of equilibrium out of contact with either chime, a solenoid, and an armature connected to said resilient means, whereby movement of the striker toward one chime is efiected solely through the intermediation of said resilient means by alteration of the tension thereof when the solenoid is energized to move said armature, movement of the striker in the opposite direction to strike the other chime being efiected by said resilient means upon de energization of said solenoid.

5. In apparatus for striking a chime, the combination of a striker of relatively substantial mass pivotally mounted for swinging movement about an upright axis, spring means normally maintaining the striker in a position of equilibrium out of contact with the chime, a solenoid, and an armature connected to said spring means whereby movement of the striker is effected solely through the spring means by alteration of the tension thereof when the solenoid is energized to move said armature, an abutment movable into and out of the path of movement of the striker in its travel toward one of the chimes, a solenoid for actuating said abutment, and control circuits for both of said solenoids, one of which circuits is adapted to actuate both of said solenoids simultaneously, and the other of which circuits is adapted to actuate only the striker solenoid.

6. In combination with a chime, a striker mechanism including a striker pivotally mounted for swinging movement into and out of contact with the chime, spring means adapted to set up a position of equilibrium for the striker on its pivot but with the striker out of contact with the chime, an actuating solenoid, a movable armature associated with the solenoid, and means connecting the armature and the spring means whereby movement of the armature will change the equilibrium to increase the component of the force of the spring means tending to move the striker in the direction of the chime, the striker being adapted to move by inertia on its pivot to a point beyond equilibrium in order to strike the chime.

7. In combination with a chime, a striker mechanism including a striker pivotally mounted for swinging movement into and. out of contact with the chime, an actuating solenoid, an armature adapted to be moved by the solenoid, a pair of springs acting on the striker in opposition to each other, one of the springs being connected with the movable armature and said pair of springs serving to establish an equilibrium position of the striker on its pivot when the solenoid is energized, which equilibrium position is out of "contact with the chime, the mass of the striker and resilience of the springs being such that iipon energizing the solenoid the striker will pivotally override said equilibrium position and strike the chime.

8. In combination with a. chime, a. Striker mechanism including a, strikerpivotally mounted ior swinging movement into and out of contact with the ehinie an actuating solenoid, an arms tur'e adapted to be moved by the solenoid, a pair of springs acting on the striker in opposition to eaeh other and serving to establish an equilibrium position of the striker onits'piv'ot out of contact with the chime, one of the springs being connected with the movable armature and providing for upsetting the. spring equilibrium when the solenoid is energized in 9, sense causing the striker to move in a direction away from the chime, the mass of the striker. and the resilience of the springs being such that upon de-energizing the solenoid the striker will tpivotall'y override said equilibrium position and strike the chime.

ROBERT M. MILLER.

CERTIFICATE OF CORREGTI-ON. Patent No. 2,550,2 9. May 50, 19th.

ROBERT M. MILLER.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as followsi Page 5, sec- 0nd column, line 10, claim 5, for the claim reference numeral "8" read --2--; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 1st day of August, A. D. 19th.

Leslie Frazer (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

